


Cinderfella

by Hannah4748



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blacksmith Keith, Blacksmith Shiro, Eventual Smut, F/M, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Minor Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Minor Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Prince Lance (Voltron), Princess Allura - Freeform, Princess Pidge, Slow Burn, prince matt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-06 14:53:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11602932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hannah4748/pseuds/Hannah4748
Summary: Keith is just a lowly Blacksmith apprentice. Nothing is new or flashy. That is until he gets invited to a suitors ball and is expected to show. It's the classic Cinderella story. But instead of dropping a glass slippery, Keith leaves behind his favourite blade leaving Prince Lance to search the country for the Blacksmith who crafted it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro and Keith go to their first ball. There's delicious looking food and even better looking guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be gentle. This is my first Voltron fan fiction so it might be OOC. I also haven't written any fanfics since 2013, so it might also be choppy. Please enjoy
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr : littlemissship  
> Let me know if you've read it and I'll follow back!

Chapter one

A ball. Keith was suppose to go to a ball. Keith doesn’t go to balls. Blacksmiths don’t go to balls. Blacksmith apprentices especially don’t go to balls. Yet, here he was, a gold invitation in his hands. Keith’s reading wasn’t exactly the best, but he recognized his own name as well as the word ‘ball’. It was clear by the date and time at the bottom of the lace trimmed paper that it was an invitation, not just an announcement. The royals don’t spend this much of fancy paper just on announcements alone.

It didn’t make sense. Thinking back to when Keith had gotten home, there had been a gentleman about to knock on his door.

“Can I help you?” Keith had frowned, approaching the stranger, already knowing that he was coming off standoffish with his fierce frown and knitted eyebrows, but he didn’t like surprises. Never have, never will. Having no family other than Shiro, Keith didn’t exactly get a lot of messages from others. Yet, there was someone at his door. He was wearing royal clothing, all white and blue and yellow. The kingdom’s colours.

“Are you Keith Kogane?” The man smiled largely, his bright orange mustache the first thing that Keith noticed and he couldn’t help but cringe slightly at how bubbly this man already was.

“And you are?” He huffed, tilting his head up and looking down at the man as best he could even though he was clearly shorter.

“Well, good sir. I am the royal messenger and royal advisor, Coran. I am here to deliver you an invitation to the ball.” The gentleman bowed deeply and Keith just backed up a little, looking around to see if anyone else was seeing this. No one bowed to him. Not as a blacksmith apprentice.

“Please raise your head.” Keith ground out as he got closer, just snatching the letter from… Coran. The attendant did as he was told, still smiling largely with no shame.

“We look forward to seeing you there, Sir Kogane.”

With that, the strange fellow just turned on his heels and began to walk the direction he must have come from. And thus Keith finds himself here,  Standing in the entrance, ripping open the envelope and looking down at the paper.

Why was he invited to a ball? He didn’t understand. It wasn’t like he knew anyone at the royal palace personally. All he knew was there was King Alfor and his two children, Princess Allura and Prince Lance. Apparently, Allura was absolutely gorgeous and caught every male’s attention, not that that mattered much to Keith. Lance was a flirt according to how all the women in town seemed to gossip about him. Some found it endearing and flattering while others thought it was obnoxious.

Keith already knew without even meeting the prince that he wouldn’t enjoy his company. Then again, just because he was going to the ball didn’t mean he was going to gain either of the heirs’ attention. Not that he wanted it. He was very content in his blacksmith training. He never dreamed of having a family of his own. He wouldn’t even know what to do with children.

Spending the rest of the night trying to understand any other words on the invitation, Keith eventually gave up and just went to bed. He’ll ask Shiro tomorrow. At least his brother by choice could read. They had tried many times to teach the younger to read, but he had very little patience for something that he never thought he would use. Maybe he needed to look about into that again. It would be nice to not be crippled by his incapability.

 

The next morning was much like any other. He woke up, had his dry bread and light porridge in his empty house that was left to him in his father’s name before going to meet Shiro at their workplace. Even though the sun was barely making an appearance over the rolling hills, Keith could already hear the sound of a hammer working on heated metal. Approaching the corner, he finds Shiro already covered in filth, face concentrated, his metal arm raising and slamming the hammer down onto what looks like will be a sword.

"Starting without me?" Keith mused as he walked in, rolling up the sleeve on his shirt and going over to pump air into the kindle to keep it hot as he got all of his works put into place to start.

"Well, if I start early, I get to leave early." Shiro pointing out with a small grin as he sunk his sword into the pail of water next to him, the familiar sound of the hot metal hitting the cold water filled the air for a moment before he began to examine his work.

"You? Leave early? That's a first." Keith scoffed as he put his own metal into the coals before turning to his brother, already beginning to sweat in the heat of the workshop.

"We have a ball to get ready for. You and I are going to the tailors after our work."

Oh. So Shiro got an invitation as well. That's good. He wouldn't have to be all alone in a ballroom with a bunch of stuffy lords and ladies.

"Why did we even get invited to the ball? I couldn't read the invitation." Keith admit easily enough. Confessing his shortcomings to Shiro wasn't too bad. It took him a while to feel that way, but Shiro was persistent. He always found a way to claw through his defences. It was just a waste of time and energy to keep anything from his brother.

"You remember Matt Holt? From my days in the army?” Shiro questioned as he sat down to start sharpening the sword, looking over to Keith as he tied his shaggy hair in a ponytail to keep it out of his eyes. “You could just cut it, you know?”

“Shut up. I like it. But yes. I think I remember you mentioning a Matt. Wasn’t he the one you save from that mission that was basically a death sentence? The one where you lost your arm?”

Keith took out his own blade, bringing it over to the anvil and grabbing his hammer to start working the metal in the desired way.

“Yes, that’s the one. Turns out, that he was actually an heir to a throne. Apparently his uncle was a kingdom’s ruler and died without any children of his own, so Matt had to take over. As thanks for what I did, he’s gotten us an invitation to the ball. Apparently they are trying to find proper suitors for both the prince and the princess. He thought that maybe we could sneak into the royal line, I guess. Plus, he’ll be there.” Shiro explained with a shrug as if it was really that simple.

“What? That’s insane. What are the chances that you managed to save royalty?” Keith gaped, shaking his head in utter disbelief, still trying to process all of the new information. “And yet all you get as thanks is an invite to a stupid, stuff ball? That kind of sucks ass.”

Shiro rolled his eyes at his brother’s attitude, shaking his head.

“Well, he just gained his power. I’m sure that once he figures out just how much he can reward us, he will. Either way, I didn’t save him to live on riches. I saved him because I’m human.” Shiro frowned heavily, like always, trying to teach Keith lessons in different ways.

“Whatever.” Keith grumbled and just focused on his work. There was no more ball talk for the rest of the day and they just made the best of their work day. Shiro came to check out Keith’s blade, giving him pointers from time to time. A customer come by every once and awhile, checking out their finished work or making requests for custom builds. Shiro handle most of them since Keith didn’t have the patience. After yelling at a wealthy business owner about his dumbass ideas with having a completely useless blade and lost them a regular, Shiro suggested that it would probably be better if he stayed in the back. Keith was far from complaining.

Like the elder promised, they closed shop early, the sun still in the sky, both of them finding it a little odd honestly. They quickly washed up at the creak, just getting the grease and some of the smell off of them before heading to the market. Of course, it was in the lesser part of town and it was hard to find ball worthy clothing. Keith was also getting rather fed up with trying all all these stupid tunics with puffy sleeves.

If he was smithing in these, they would be covered in filth and would probably get caught in the fire. But as Shiro reminded him several times, these clothing were for the ball and the ball alone. If the friendship between Matt and Shiro continued, it would be expected to go to these sorts of events more often. The thought alone made Keith want to stab himself in the eye. He avoided people and crowds for a reason.

Eventually, they both found something that they could agree on. Keith managed to find a tunic with a deep red torso with black lace that matched Shiro’s. Keith’s had a deep cut to it though, revealing his black undertunic. It fit his body tightly and made his arms muscles obvious. Hitting metal with a hammer all day managed to get you pretty toned.

Then again, Keith still looked like a child compared to Shiro.

His brother was broad all over. His shoulders were squared and he was sure that if they weren’t so close as brothers, Keith would try to climb him like a tree.

But that would be just… weird.

Shiro’s tunic was just as form fitting, but his sleeves with puffy. It was all black with a lighter shade as lace tangling all through out. They both wore black trousers and Keith had to admit that they looked pretty damn good for a pair of blacksmiths. Then again, Keith knew that once they were in the company of lords and ladies, their outfits would look as cheap as they actually were.

Still, Keith was satisfied with the results. It wasn’t very often that he felt confident about the way he looked. It wasn’t because he thought he was ugly, he just didn’t spend a lot of time looking into the mirror and question his looks. He had better things to do honestly.

After they got their outfits, Keith and Shiro also got some masquerade masks like the ball suggested. It didn’t make sense to Keith because if they were trying to find suitors, wouldn’t it be best to know what they look like? But according to Shiro, they might want to find someone with a good heart over looks. Which seemed like bullshit. Though, finding a mask was much easier. Keith ended up finding one the same red as his tunic, covering his eyes and curling up at the edge. It was simple, white swirls faded on. Shiro got the same, but it black. Like always. The two always matched and always stuck to their colours.

 

The ball was nothing like Keith had ever seen before. It was bright and loud and packed. It had been a week since they had gotten the invitation and every night, Keith had gone to bed overthinking everything that could possibly go wrong. Shiro on the other hand looked as though he belonged. He was handsome and tall and princely. It made Keith feel even more like the street rat he once was. Of course, he glued himself to Shiro’s side as they made their way up the palace steps, lords and ladies on either side of them, talking rapidly to each other and laughing in glee.

They were so dark compared to everyone else. Everyone else wore bright, rich colours making the pair stand out. They got questioning gazes turned to them, whisperings surrounding them. Shiro didn’t seem to mind, but it made Keith extremely antsy to say the least. Then again, there were a couple people that seemed to recognize Shiro. Having been a war hero and given the title ‘Champion’, it drew a few more interesting gazes from some of the ladies around them.

Finally, they got to the main gates and showed their invitations and were guided inside with the rest of the guests. There wasn’t much time to look around before they got to the ballroom.

Holy quiznack… It was huge. Bigger than Keith had ever seen before. It was breathtaking. Light music from a band filled the room and there was already a few couples dancing on the large dance floor. Chandeliers dangled on the high ceilings, lighting the entire area without any problems. Dozens of tables were set along one side, filled with foods he had never even dreamt of and Keith knew that he was going to head there first. He was about to when Shiro grabbed his arms, stopping him.

“I don’t think so. We’re going to find Matt first and thank him.” Shiro scolding and ignored Keith’s complaining as he was dragged across the ballroom. Eventually, it seemed as though Shiro found who he was looking for at one of the head tables as he smiled largely. A man answered his smile and stood from his seat, walking around the table to greet them.

“Shiro! It’s so good to see you! I’m glad that you could come!” The man - Matt, Keith assumed - greeted as he threw his arms around Shiro, pulling him into a bear hug.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Shiro chuckled as he returned the hug to the shaggy hair prince. Keith had been right. This was the famous Matt. He looked… very plain. He had floppy, boring hair, round glasses and a goofy grin. Totally not what Keith had expected.

The men parted finally and Matt seemed to notice him for the first time.

“You must be Keith! I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Matt. Oh wait, I’m not suppose to introduce myself like that. Let me try again.” Keith raised an eyebrow at the interesting character the prince was turning out to be. “I’m Prince Matt of the kingdom of the Oikarion. It’s a pleasure.”  
There was a beat of silence and Keith wasn’t bothered by it until Shiro elbowed him.

  
“Yeah, nice to meet you. I’m Keith.” He muttered, glancing back over to the food table.

“Keith…. Sorry about him, Matt. He’s not exactly social.” Shiro sighed in disapproval making Keith curl up on himself slightly.

He hated that tone.

“Nah, it’s alright. He’s just like you said. Like a grumpy puppy.” Matt chuckled and Keith instantly whipped his head back to the prince and growled, probably proving Matt’s point further. Then again, it did make him hide behind Shiro a little more.

Good.

“I’m going to get food.” Keith just finally announced as he turned and left without letting them reply. He crossed the dance floor, pushing through people before finally arriving at the spread.

Holy quiznack. There was so.. Much. He didn’t even know where to start. Finally just grabbing a plate, he filled it almost completely with everything that caught his eye before digging in. His manners seemed to be get him some glares, but what did he care? The food was good. Why should he take his time?

“Wow. Slow down there buddy. You’re going to choke.” Someone chuckled behind him, ruining Keith’s mood immediately as he turned to see a guy around his age standing some distance away. He was darker skinner and was wearing a blue and brown tunic. The blue made his eyes pop, reminding Keith of what he saw of the ocean. The mask the man wore was much like his tunic, blue and brown, making his eyes stand out even more. His tunic was clearly much finer than his own, elegant designs dancing throughout and Keith had to admit that he was a fine piece of ass. Even his cocky grin didn’t ruin the lick of desire moving through Keith.

“Can I help you?” Keith growled after swallowing the sweet peice of cake he had shoved into his mouth.

“I’m just surprised. It’s not very often that people around here actually eat as much as they desire. It’s a refreshing view.” The man grinned, moving closer to him with a flirty smile making Keith stiffen slightly.

“It’s good.” Is all that Keith could come up with.

“I’ll make sure to tell the chief in the morning.”

  
Keith just continued to stare at the stranger, not quite sure what he was suppose to do and just ended up offering the man a chocolate covered strawberry.

“Why, thank you, good sir.” He chuckled, simply leaning down and biting into it, not looking away from Keith. Flushing hard, Keith just let go of the fruit like he had been burnt and looked away. The man just chuckled, chewed and swallowed.

“I like you. You can call me Blue. Let’s dance.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well? Hope I didn't do too bad. Make sure to leave comments on your thoughts and opinions. Hopefully it will only get better from here. I don't know when the next time I'll update, but I'll try my best to not make anyone wait to long. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance get to know each other a bit better.  
> The stars are pretty.
> 
>  
> 
> Tumblr : littlemissship   
> Let me know if you've read it and I'll follow back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, second chapter so soon, but I just couldn't help it. My writing juices are flowing! 
> 
> Anyway, I feel like they are already a bit more into their proper characters now. At least, I hope so.

Keith had absolutely no idea how this guy managed to make him put down his plate and follow him onto the dance floor.

“This is a bad idea.” Keith ground out, looking around to see that they were the only two males that were about to dance together. Which was obvious. Two men and two women dancing together is not something that ever happens. It’s seen as sinful and damn close to criminal. Sure, like who you want, but every relationship must have heirs. Which, of course, is impossible between the same gendered couples. This Blue guy must be absolutely insane to do this in such a public area.

“Relax, pretty boy. Nobody cares. That’s the thrill of wearing masks. No one knows who you are.” Blue grinned, grabbing Keith’s hand and dragging him against himself. Keith squeaked softly as his hand was grabbed and Blue’s other landed on his waist, forcing the shorter to put his hand on his slightly broader shoulder, their chests almost touching with every shaky breath Keith takes.

Yeah, this was definitely not a good idea. They were already getting some questioning looks from some other guests. The music was nice and slow and Blue began to sway them together. Of course, Keith had two left feet so he had to look down the entire time to make sure he didn’t step on the cute boy’s fancy shoes.

Keith has never indulged his desires. They were dangerous and most of the time he didn’t find anyone was worth the risk honestly. So to be this close with someone who isn’t Shiro is more than a little frightening. His heart was pounding so loud that he could almost guarantee that Blue could hear it. His hands began to grow sweaty and he wanted nothing more than to just rip his hands away before he could absolutely embarrass himself.

“Red, relax. Deep breath in and out.” Blue advised in a smooth tone making Keith look up, only resulting in his head smacking against Blue’s all too pointy grin, sharp pain moving through the both of them.

“Quiznack!” They both shouted loudly, separating just enough to rub at the at their wounds. That got them a couple more gasps and turns. Great. Exactly what he needed. More attention.

“Wow. You’re really bad at dancing.” Blue chuckled and shook his head, hands settling on his narrow hips. Flushing ever so slightly, Keith crossed his arms over in defence and glared hard at Blue.

“Well, maybe you just suck a leading. And what was with that voice? It was so awkward.” Keith barked back, only knowing how to get angry when he was embarrassed. Like seriously? He just headed butted a cute boy while dancing! Who does that?

“Oh yeah? Well you suck at… at… Following!” Blue managed to come up with, making Keith scoff.

“Wow. Real cleaver. Come up with that on your own? That’s just pathetic.” Keith taunted as Blue just sneered at that. Huffing like a child, Keith watched as his dance partner just stomped away all pouty.

Wow. How could such a flirt grow so immature so quickly? Keith was worried he might just have whiplash.

Adjusting his mask and ponytail, Keith just went back to his plate of food, sitting down at a table by himself.

 

Staying on his own for most of the night, Keith just people watched. Shiro and Matt mostly lingered together and Keith noticed that Blue was actually moving around the ball. Not like he was watching him or anything. He seemed to be a flirt and rather immature to say the least. Very much like the rumours of the prince.

Wait… no. Impossible. There is no way that the prince of Altea would ask him to dance. Being a prince, he would need to be only interested in girls. Which, Blue seemed to be now. He hadn't approached any other men while Keith was watching.

Not that he was watching!

But the feeling of their hands touching and Blue’s body so close was still lingering in his mind. He had smelt so good..

Groaning and mentally kicking himself, Keith just got up and went out the front door to get some fresh air. Leaning over the railing surrounding the stairs, Keith just closed his eyes, enjoying and relishing in the quietness outside, glad to be away from the busyness inside. This was much more his style. Looking up at the clear sky, Keith sighed happily at how bright the stars were shining. They were so beautiful. Keith wished he could touch them…

“Red, what are you doing outside?” A familiar voice questioned and Keith turned to see Blue seemingly following him and coming to stand with him. Frowning, Keith just put a little more distance between them.

“It's boring inside. And you're there.” He insulted casually and Blue just gaped before huffing and looking over the gardens. It was hard to see them in the dark, but Keith could still tell that they were beautiful.

“You're right about one thing. It is boring… You're here to win the hand of the princess?” Blue asked quietly, glancing over at Keith. He could hear the underlying question, the nervous look and Keith just shrugged, looking back up at the sky.

“I don't she would notice me even if I wanted her attention.” Keith explained, not looking down at Blue, but could see the shy and excited smile from the corner of his eye.

Cute.

“Well… I noticed you. You're quite dark and have a terrible taste in clothing. Like, seriously. Did you steal this off a homeless man?” Blue questioned, picking at the fabric of his tunic.

“Hey! Rude! It took me a long time to pick this out! It ain't easy.” Keith barked, slapping Blue’s hand away, but the underlying compliment still made a faint flush appear on his skin.

“But seriously, I wouldn't even dress my horse in that material.” Blue kept taunting and Keith just growled louder, knowing that he was probably just wanting a reaction.

Well, he was getting one. He thought he looked good in this outfit!

“Why the fuck are you dressing horses? That's literally the stupidest thing I've ever heard.” Keith snapped back, moving closer without even realizing.

“Really? I think the stupidest idea you've ever heard was that someone told you it was okay to buy this.”

And with that, Keith had enough. Not even knowing the guy, whether he was a lord or maybe even the prince as he suspected, Keith just tackled Blue over the railing, landing them both in the grass. Blue seemed more than happy to spar and they both began to tug at each other, throw a few punches, dodge others and by the time they were both out of breath, they were laughing. Apparently they both needed a little break from reality, a little bit of life in their lives.

Falling against the soft and slightly dewy grass panting and looking at the skies, their laughter slowly stopped as they caught their breaths.

Blue has a cute laugh…

“Hey, Red?” He asked softly, not looking away from the stars.

“Yeah, Blue?” Keith answered just as quietly, looking at all the constellations Shiro had taught him before he went to war for a year.

“This is the most fun I've had in a long time.”

They were both quiet for a moment before Keith hummed.  
  
“Yeah… me too.”

 

After laying together for what seemed like years, Blue was the first one to get up and dust off his wrinkled and dirty tunic.

Hah. Who has the crappy tunic now?

Keith accepted the hand that was reached out to him and let himself be pulled up, looking over at Blue. They stared at each other for a moment, their stupid masks still in place, keeping them from getting a full picture of one another.

“We should probably get back to the party. Wouldn't want anyone to start missing us.” Blue smiled with a shrugged before climbing the railing. Sighing, Keith nodded and climbed over the rail as well, following Blue back inside. They were filthy now and Keith watched as a woman approached Blue.

She had long, curly white hair that reached her mid back, a little bit of a darker tone than Blue. The woman wore an elegant purple, white and pale blue gown, her lace mask matching.

“Blue! You're filthy!” She accused, grabbing him by his ear and tugging him down to her height.

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Pink, you're hurting me!” Blue whined loudly, trying to free himself, but only getting himself hurt in the process.

“Do you have any idea how much effort was put into that?! It's custom made by the finest seamstress. You can't just ruin it like this! What in the quiznack were you even doing?” The woman - Pink as Blue called her (what's with all the colours?) - finally turned to Keith and saw that he was just as messy.

Oh no.

Just before he could escape, Pink managed to catch him by the ears as well, making him yelp and easily bend at her whim as Pink pulled him closer.

“And just who are you? Are you being a bad influence on my baby brother?” Pink accused, tugging on his ear again making Keith wince.

“I-I didn't do anything! Let me go.” Keith tried, eventually squirming out of the gold and keeping a safe distance. Pink didn't kept her attention on him for long, finally turning to Blue again.

“And you. You should be meeting girls, talking to them. Not wrestling with some guy. Now go! Don't let me catch you fooling around again.” The fierce woman warned before finally releasing Blue and stalking away.

“Wow. That is one heavy duty sister you got there.” Keith mumbled, rubbing at his slightly throbbing ear.

“Yeah, she's absolutely insane. We should have just stayed outside.” Blue huffed, crossing his arms and sticking his chin out making Keith roll his eyes.

“Well, you should probably do as she says. Go find some girls to fondle or whatever.” Keith grumbled as he looked out at the dance floor.

It was busier than when he first arrived and he was a little surprised to see Shiro actually approaching Pink, flushing slightly and offering a hand. The woman actually accepted with her out rosy cheeks before heading to the dance floor together.

Wow. Shiro had moves. Good for him.

“No way! A gentleman doesn't simply fondle a lady! But dancing is so boring. Lets do something fun. Let's ditch this ball.” Blue grinned widely and Keith's eyes knitted together.

“Uh. No thank you. I would rather not be killed by your sister, thank you very much.” Keith scoffed, shaking his head and walking back to his table.

“Aw, come on, Red. It will be fun!” Blue pleaded, grabbing Keith’s hand and squeezing it. Frowning hard, the blacksmith looked down at their hands before looking at his soon to be partner in crime.

“Fine.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is. Second chapter. Make sure to comments your thoughts! I know this chapter is a little shorter, but I didn't want to cram too much stuff and get lazy. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance wants to rebel more. Beautiful ponds and beautiful laughs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thank you guys for all of the support! It really motivates me to write more when I get comments saying people enjoy my work, so I appreciate all the feed back. Let me know what you think!

Almost everything Keith has done tonight with Blue had been a bad idea. Dancing, going outside, fucking wrestling and now they were sneaking out! Was Blue insane? Was Keith insane? He didn't know. But when he saw that bright sparkle in Blue’s eyes.. how could he say no? 

They snuck back out the front door again, hoping the rail again, but this time actually going further into the garden. 

“This is dangerous. What if some guards find us?” Keith pressed, continuing to look around, unable to properly relax even if he wanted to. The guards at the front had been stupid, or too trustworthy, to not frisk all of their guests. Keith’s first, successful custom made blade was strapped to his ankle and he would absolutely hate to be caught in the palace gardens with whom he suspects to be the prince with a dagger on his person. 

He would not get out of that easily at all. 

“Oh, relax. They are all too busy at the ball. And don't worry, I'm taking you somewhere secret.” Blue grinned over his shoulder and Keith swallowed. 

Oh, this can't be good. Not even a little bit. 

But this was definitely helping his theory about Blue being the prince. Why else would he be familiar with the grounds? And be told by his older, very similar to the princess, sister to go mingle with woman. 

Narrowing his eyes at Blues slim back, Keith just shook his head. 

As silly as the prince seems in the rumours, there is no way the prince would be this stupid. Blue didn't even know Keith. Didn't even know he was carrying a weapon. He was much too trusting of a stranger. 

But maybe Keith was the same. He had no idea if Blue had a weapon, or who he is, or why he's following him deep into the royal gardens in the dark of the night. It was probably close to the middle of the night by now . Even though he should be scared, Keith couldn't find any ounce of fear in himself. Hesitance? Sure. But distrust? Worry? Nope. 

And that's why it was so dangerous. 

Following Blue silently, Keith still made sure to look all around, not wanting to be caught off guard. Which only resulted in him running into Blue’s back when he suddenly stopped.

“What the hell?” Keith ground out, rubbing his nose as Blue turned to him with a large, goofy grin. 

“We’re here.” 

And by here, Blue meant one of the most beautiful ponds he had ever seen in his entire life. It wasn’t very big, but the water reflected the star light like a mirror. It took Keith’s breath away. Light pink flowers bloomed on the trees surrounding it and there was a white gazebo on one side with candle light keeping it warm. Walking closer to the pond, Keith kneeled by the edge and ran his fingers through the water. 

He was touching the stars. Just like he always wanted. He had almost completely forgotten about Blue until he came to sit beside him. Keith glanced over to see Blue looking fondly over the pond, face soft and welcoming, a large part of Keith wanted to take off his mask to get a look at the man beneath. He was probably just as pretty as the pond in front of them. 

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Blue sighed wistfully, turning to Keith, face still open making his breath hitch shortly. The blush that made itself at home on his cheek made him feel warm and Keith was glad that it was probably too dark for Blue to properly see it. Quickly looking away, he just coughed awkwardly and nodded. 

“Y-yes. It’s very beautiful.” Keith mumbled, continuing to drag his fingers through the chilled pond water. He’s never seen something so beautiful. Well, other than the night sky itself, but he couldn’t touch it like this. Looking down at the pond made it feel as though he was dancing along side them. He’s never felt so at home in his entire life. 

“My mother used to take me here all the time. It was her favourite place. She said that when I was born, the first thing she thought of when she saw my eyes was this pond. She had never shared it with anyone else. It was our place.” Blue explained softly, almost talking to himself as though Keith wasn’t right beside him, staring as he listened. 

“Why are you showing me then?” Keith asked quietly, nervously as he looked back over the pond. 

“Because I noticed the ways you were looking at the stars. I thought you might like them as much as I did. If you did, I knew that you would like this place too,” Blue smiled softly making that darn blush return to Keith’s face. “Aaaaand. I kind of wanted to do this!” 

And next thing Keith knew, he was soaked and surrounded by water. Then again, when he got a hold of himself after sputtering and coughing out the small amount of disgusting tasting water out of his lungs, Keith got his feet under him and the water barely reached his mid thighs. 

“I’m going to kill you!” Keith cried out as he grabbed Blue by the arm and dragged him into the water. The taller of the two squealed much louder as he landed face first into the pond water, soiling his stupid, fancy tunic. “Hah!” 

“Oh, I’m going to get you now, Red!” 

And thus began their water fight. There were war cries, lots of splashing and kicks ensued, but eventually, laughter followed as well. They chased one another around, tackled each other down and eventually, Keith got a hold of Blue’s head and kept it shoved underwater for a while. They were so caught up in one another, they didn’t notice the trio that had heard the commotion and came to check it out. 

“Unhand the prince!” Someone suddenly boomed, making Keith jump off of Blue and land on his ass in the water with a loud and wet splash. 

“It’s your turn to go under!” Blue shouted before he noticed someone rushing over to them on the edge of the pond. “Lotor? What are you doing here?” 

Lotor?! As in Prince Lotor? The child of King Zarkon, ruler of the Galras? 

Keith heart froze as he gaped at the stranger who was grabbing at Blue and dragging him out of the pond, despite his protest. Lotor had white long hair, very much like Blue’s sisters, but that where the similarities stop. The prince’s face was much more firm, his eyes were piercing and he held himself with as much power he had. Keith knew he was screwed. 

“Your sister noticed your disappearance and sent me out to find you. Being the charming prince I am, I let your lovely sister tell me what to do. And I find you with some… slave boy? Splashing in the pond? Sendak, grab him and check him for weapons.” Lotor barked and now Keith knew he was dead. He could take the blade off and keep in the the pond, but the person the prince had commanded had grabbed him too fast, yanking him out of the pond. 

He yelped shortly in pain, the grip on his arm making it throb and he knew he would have a bruise from it. The man who grabbed him was much uglier than Prince Lotor and had a dark eyepatch over one of his eyes, neither of the pair bothering with masks. Must be a pride thing. 

Before he could think any longer about it, Keith was frisked down and his stomach dropped when the man found his blade, pulling it out of his trousers. 

“Lotor, leave Red alone! He didn’t do anything wrong!” Blue snarled, yanking his hand out of the hold, turning before freezing again when he saw his confiscated blade, sending Keith a confused and almost hurt look. 

“See, Lance? He probably knew just who you were and was looking for just the right moment.” Lotor pointed out as he took the blade from his buddy, examining it. “This is a fine blade. I think I’ll keep it.” 

“Give it back.” 

Struggling hard for the first time, Keith almost managed to snatch his blade back, but the third member of party grabbed his other arm and fought him down to the ground, pinning him there in place, leaving him unable to move at all. 

Fuck this guy was way too big. 

“Red! Lotor, let him go!” Blue - or as he expected, Lance - protested, shoving at the guy on top of Keith. 

Keith was too busy trying to get his blade back and taking a good decent breath that he didn't have time to process that he had been splashing in the pond with the prince of this land and never wanting it to end. Eventually, Lance managed to convince the guy on top of him to get off and Keith struggled to his feet, still dripping wet. 

“Lance, he's a threat! He's lucky he's not dead where he stands. But since you like him so much, He has until midnight to leave the palace grounds before I send my dogs on him.” Lotor ground out and Keith’s face paled. 

Wasn't it already close to midnight?! 

Before he even knew what he was doing, knowing the threat wasn't a bluff, Keith turned and took off running. He heard Lance calling after him, but all he could think about was getting Shiro and getting out of here. 

The palace was kind of a pain to get back to and Keith kept getting lost in the twists and turns of the gardens. He couldn't understand how Lance had gotten through it all so easily. Years of practice probably. 

Quiznack! He couldn't believe he had spent the whole ball with the prince! The ball that was made just for the prince to find his princess! That alone should get him killed. But rolling around in the grass then pretending to drown him while having a knife on his body? Yeah. He should be triple death. If not worse. 

So Keith ran. Ran harder than he has in a long time. Just as he got the palace steps, chest heaving, the loud chimes out the midnight hour filled the castle. 

Keith sped even more, pushing his way through people to finally find Shiro, still dancing with Pink, or Allura, or whatever! Grabbing him, Keith just began to drag his brother away. 

“Keith? What are you doing? I was dancing. Why are you wet?” Shiro questioned, but Keith just ignore him and Shiro waved back in apology at the beautiful woman he had left behind. 

Maybe in another life. 

“We need to get out of here. Now.” Keith ground out, dragging Shiro down the steps and only once they were off the royal property did he slow down and finally catch his breath. 

“Alright. Time to explain, now.” Shiro explained in a firm voice, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow. 

“Alright. So. Apparently I had been hanging out with the prince all night long. But he was the one that asked me to dance first! And he was cute so I let him take me to the dance floor and we tried to dance but I ended up head butting and insulting his dancing. Which is stupid, because he was a really good dancer. Then he left and I went outside then he came back. We looked at the stars then insulted each other again and then I kind of tackled him to the grass. We wrestled for a bit, but eventually went back inside. Which is when his sister came and scolded us and I guess he still wanted to rebel more. So we left and went to this beautiful garden. Fuck, it was so beautiful and romantic and he was so cute. Then he pushed me in the pond and we wrested again, but then Prince Lotor came and threatened me and found the knife and said he would kill me if I wasn't off the grounds by midnight.” 

Once he was finished his speech, Keith was panting all over again and Shiro just seemed to be stunned, staring at him. There was a beat of silence while his brother processed before shaking his head. 

“Wow. That's.. so you. If anyone would insult and probably become a wanted threat of the castle, it would be you.” Shiro scoff, shaking his head as he began their journey back to their village. It was a day's carriage ride, so they would probably have to find an inn to stay at. 

Keith just chuckled softly and followed Shiro, still trying to come to terms as well. 

“Guess the prince isn't such a ladies man.” Shiro winked and Keith just flushed. 

“I lost my lucky blade though…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance's POV next chapter. We're going to have some more Allura and Lotor and some Hunk as well! Can't forget Coran either. 
> 
> Comments are loved and cherished.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance's point of view. He wants to find Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually quite surprised that I already have so much encouragement. I really appreciate it you guys. The comments and the kudos are really keeping me going, so thank you.  
> Now please, enjoy.

Lance enjoyed being a prince. He gets to be pamper, gets to flirt with all the pretty ladies and gets the best face cream in the entire kingdom. It was a pretty kooshie life with almost no responsibilities. Well.. until he turned sixteen, anyway. Then all of a sudden, Coran was teaching him all about politics, about getting the best wife and ruling the kingdom. It was a shock to the system to say the least. There were meetings after meetings with Coran and his father. He had to sit in when there were other rulers and he was expected to pay attention and make notes. Of course, he wasn’t allowed an opinion, which he was perfectly okay with as a teen.

 

With his sister Allura being three years older and clearly more mature than himself, it made Lance feel insecure. She was perfect for the role as queen. Sure, sometimes she would lose her patience or be selfish, but much less often than Lance. Every king in the surrounding isle were constantly trying to set up marriages with their sons and Allura, but their father, King Alfor, would always reject, very stuck in his ways of having Allura pick her husband. As longs as he was royalty anyway.

 

Even though it's been four years since the sudden transition, Lance was still struggling to keep up with being the future king of the Altea. It was terrifying. Sure, Allura would be queen if he didn't find his own soon, but if he found someone first…. It was the whole reason for the ball, after all. His father expected him to find his wife here. Which was absolutely ridiculous! As much as he loved flirting it up with every girl he sees, he also wants his queen to be someone that he loved with all of his heart. Curse his romantic heart. Lance was actually the one that suggested the masquerade. It would keep things more personal and he could find someone with more than just good looks. But he still wasn't ready to rule. Not even a little.

 

So Lance came up with a plan. He would just find a guy to flirt with all evening! It was perfect! Lance has only had a couple of experiences with hot guys, but they were like the girls he flirted with and it never went past cheeky words. He just hoped that Allura would be able to find her King tonight. Then Lance wouldn't have to do a whole lot of anything. It was perfect.

 

And so Lance found Red. Honestly, he wasn’t expecting a good reaction. When Lance had first spotted Red, he looked grumpy and definitely didn't want to be there, but he was hot so Lance couldn't help himself. The dancing was a failure and Lance’s temper got the best of him when Red said he sucked at leading, which soooo wasn't true.

 

So he tried flirting with girls at the ball, but Lance couldn't stop looking back at Red, watching him be all grumpy by himself. Eventually, Red did get up and leave outside and Lance hesitated, not sure if he should try again or if Red will just bark at him again.

 

“Go, Lance.” Someone suddenly said behind him making him spin around. Smiling largely at his best friend and royal cook, Hunk, Lance just shrugged and turned back to look where Red had disappeared.

 

“I don’t know. He didn’t seem to like me very much,” Lance winced as he grabbed some sweets from the table, plopping them into his mouth, chewing it before groaning softly at how fucking good it actually taste. “Hunk, you are a genius.”

 

Hunk chuckled and clapped his large hand of Lance’s back before pushing him towards the door.

 

“Go. Seriously. Since when have you ever giving up on someone, hm? Go get the Lance charm on.” Hunk grinned, wiggling his eyebrows and Lance just laughed softly before nodding and leaving to go find Red. It wasn’t too hard at all. Red hadn’t gotten too far thankfully. They talked again and somehow Lance’s flirting came out as insults around the other male and they ended up wrestling in the grass.

 

He couldn’t remember the last time he actually wrestled with anyone. Ever since he’s been trained to be the proper prince, goofing around and rolling in the grass, ruining his tunic had become a big no-no. But Lance had the time of his life and seeing Red laughing and smiling made him feel warm. Red looked really good when he wasn’t pouting. Lance also noticed the way that he was staring at the stars, the same longing in his eyes that Lance knew were in his own whenever he turned his head to the sky.

 

He already knew just where exactly to take Red. Maybe someday.

 

For now, they went back inside and Allura lectured him about not being at the ball and Lance hated it. He didn’t want to be king. Instead of going back and just dancing with Red to get his father mad, Lance thought maybe it would be a better idea to take Red to the pond. Not being here even when he was told to would definitely show everyone that he wasn’t ready. Perfect!

 

Thankfully, he managed to get Red to come along with him to the gardens and he wasn’t surprised when he acted positively. Red was just so nice to look at when he actually smiles and laugh. It’s almost too bad that he probably won’t see Red… Actually, he might just as for his name at the end of the night. Maybe even see each other again. Wouldn’t that just be something?

 

Lance also couldn’t stop himself from throwing Red into the water. It was just too hilarious not to. He wasn’t surprised when Red dragged him into the water as well and soon they were wrestling all over again. They were laughing so hard and Lance never wanted this night to end. He was just having way too much fun acting like children. But, of course, Lotor had to come and ruin anything.

 

Lotor’s father, Zarkon, was always trying to get Allura to marry him. It was disgusting. Lotor was constantly sending over gifts and proposals and Allura stuck with her firm no’s, but that didn’t stop the entitled prince. It only seemed to give him even more fuel to try and push for a yes. He even gave Allura a piece of his land and named it after her. It was creepy to say the least. So, Lance wasn’t surprised at all when Lotor was the one to ruin all of his fun for the night.

 

Seeing Red thrown and pinned to the ground made Lance’s blood boil. He wanted to do nothing but throw off the big man on him, but all he could do was shove at him. Lance was surprised when Red actually had a dagger on him and for a moment Lance thought that maybe it was all just a ploy to get him alone an assassinate him. But very few people knew about Lance’s attraction to both genders, the likelihood that any kingdom would be able to come up with a plan to do this with a male is very slim. Plus, Red looked honestly happy tonight with him in the grass and at the pond. There was just no way that someone would be able to fake that. There had also been plenty of times that Red could have attacked him, but he didn’t.

 

Before he could defend Red further, Lotor was threatening with the hounds and his ball date dashed off. With fair reasoning. Lance still called after him in hopes that Red would listen, but soon he was out of sight. Instantly, Lance turned to Lotor and death glared him.

 

“You’re absolutely disgusting,” Lance spat and just snatched the blade from the other prince. “And I’ll be keeping this thank you very much. If you follow me back to the palace, I will return this knife right into your gut.”

 

With that, Lance turned on his heel and made his way back to the palace, fuming and dripping wet. Red was nowhere to be seen which wasn’t surprising at all, but rather disappointing. Looking down at the blade in his hand, he was surprised by how smooth it was. It had an undertone of blue in the right light and it was polished enough that Lance could see himself in it. Red must spend a lot of time working at this dagger. It was so sharp that Lance actually cut himself when he pressed ever so lightly on it’s point. There was a crest where the blade began and Lance felt as though he had seen it somewhere before…

 

Slipping it into the back of his trousers, Lance thought that maybe he would be able to track Red down with the dagger. It was like nothing that he had ever seen before. It shouldn’t be too hard, right? Lance was so distracted by his own thoughts, that he didn’t even notice someone in front of him until he walked right into them.

 

“Hey, watch it.” They spat and Lance looked down to see Princess Katie from the Oikarion kingdom, or as Lance called her, Pidge.

 

“Oh, sorry, Pidge. I’m a little… distracted at the moment.” Lance admitted easily to his friend. Pidge was wearing a green ball gown that brush against the palace floor with ruffles all over it, her mask the same shade of green. “Wow.. you look dolled up.”

 

“Shut up. My mom picked it.” The princess frown heavily, pinching at Lance’s arm making him squeak and rub the sore spot. “And what are you distracted with?”

 

Lance just shrugged, scratching the back of his head. Should he tell anyone about Red? Probably… It would help the chances of actually find him. Explaining everything to Pidge, he wasn’t surprised to see her slightly surprised face staring right back at him.

 

“That would explain why you’re wet.. To say the least.” Pidge winced, shaking her head and looking back to her brother Matt who was talking to a couple of the other guests. “Well, I can talk to my brother and see if this matches anyone that he might know, but I can’t promise anything.”

 

“Thanks, Pidge. I really appreciate it.” Lance smiled, ruffling the princess’ hair making her smack his hand away, cursing him out. Quickly running away before she could get a good hit at him. The small joy didn’t last for long when he ran into someone yet again, making him grunt and look up. Instantly, his face feel and he curled in on himself.

 

“Father…” Lance breathed, avoiding the king’s eyes, rubbing at his arm.

 

“Lance… why are you wet? And where have you been all night? I have not seen you dance with a single suitor. I’m starting to think that you don’t even want to become king.” King Alfor mused, crossing his arms and beginning to walk towards the hall and Lance knew without being told that he needed to follow.

 

Once they were both alone in the halls, walls covered in art and tile covered with a long, rich blue rug making a walkway way down the length of it, Lance leaned against the wall, looking as small as possible, just taking off his mask.

 

“Lance… Talk to me. Allura said that you were wrestling by the stairs then Lotor tells me that you were deep in the gardens with a boy, playing in a pond. You’re acting like a child. This ball was made for you and Allura to find the ones you will rule the kingdom with and yet you’re off playing around. I’m very disappointed in you.”

 

The words dug deep and Lance found it rather hard to breath. He hated disappointing people. Absolutely hated it. He was going to have trouble sleep tonight, maybe even the whole week. The words kept repeating in his head.

 

_Disappointed. Disappointed. Disappointed. Disappointed._

 

“I don’t think you are ready to become king. Lance, I’m going to send you somewhere and you are going to train to be a proper king. Clearly here, you have too many distractions. I’ll let you pick the location in which you will learn, but Coran will come with you and teach you to become responsible.” King Alfor spoke seriously and Lance just stared at him, eyes wide.

 

What? Be taken away from the palace? This is the only place he’s ever known. He doesn’t know how to survive outside of what he knows.

 

Lance’s world was starting to crumble around him. He didn’t want this. All he wanted was to step back from the throne. This isn’t what he asked for. Before Lance had a chance to reply, King Alfor went to the ball and ended it, sending his regard to everyone, telling them that when the time comes, they will know what suitor of the night would be crowned.

 

Lance didn’t wait to be dismissed, instead, just went to his room. Taking off his wet clothes, his eyes lingered on the dagger he had in his hands. Maybe… just maybe, he could find Red. Maybe he could stay in his village and train there. Without Hunk and Pidge, he was going to be alone. He would need friends and maybe if he found Red, they could become friends. And maybe even something a little more.

 

What he needed to do now is to find Red and tell his father he would like to train there, that it would be good for him to be with someone he knew.

 

First things first, he needed to find Red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is. Lance will finally start his search for his Cinderella.  
> I can promise you, the more comments I get, the more inspired I get and the faster the chapters come.  
> I'm always up for suggestions or questions.


End file.
